Monday, 29 June 2015

During our week in Hyderabad, some of the places we visited include the Mecca Mosque, the Charminar (the icon of Hyderabad), Sufi Shrine, Birla Mandir (pure white marble Hindu temple) and Salar Jung Museum (pretty good actually).

I personally enjoyed Chowmahalla Palace because it has a great combination of nice architecture, history, artifacts and gardens all within the sprawling compound.

The magnificent palace of the Nizams, unique for its style and elegance, originally covered 45 acres but today only 12 acres remain.

Friday, 26 June 2015

We visited Hyderabad when the weather was at its hottest. With temperatures soaring to 40 degree celcius, even the breeze was hot. The death toll in India during the heatwave was alarmingly high at over 2,500!

It was essential for us to stay hydrated and dress in thin cotton. Business was always brisk at the coconut and sugar cane vendor's cart.

Even with the heat, the bazaars were always packed with people and vehicles. It takes a lot of courage to weave through chaotic traffic and cross the busy roads.

On some days, we could even see the tar on the road melting from the intense heat. In the evenings, people came out in full force to shop at the bazaars. Sultan Bazaar is textile paradise while Laad Bazaar is the place to go for jewelry and pearls.

Food is cheap and plentiful. Hyderabad is famous for briyani, with variations like vegetarian, mutton or chicken to choose from. Aside from rice, we ate different styles of roti, served with dips and curry everyday.
We drank lots of milk tea as well. They were so good and cheap! The small glass cups cost SGD 20cts each.

Enjoy the photos taken while we were out and about. It was mango season and hawkers were selling them everywhere.

When the opportunity came up for us to attend Sai and Ramya's wedding in India, we grabbed it without any second thoughts. It turned out to be a fascinating ceremony which lasted an entire week.

First, we went to the mehendhi party at the bride's house.

The mehendi artists from Rajasthan were amazing.

The bride getting her arms and feet painted.

It was a first for me and I was so thrilled.

The Hindu wedding ceremony took place two days later at a hotel. It began at 7am and lasted 6 hours. It was a real eye-opener and for those who are interested to know the details, I found an excellent article here -The hindu wedding ceremony.

We also attended two dinners, hosted separately by the bride and groom's families.